There’s no doubt that water features—like a pond, a waterfall, or even a fountain—are an excellent way to add layers of interest to your landscape. Fountains and waterfalls add the ever-present sounds of moving water, while the still waters of a pond create a serene place where one can contemplate the day and enjoy the play of light and shadows on the water’s surface. The plants that thrive in an aquatic environment have their own unique beauty, and the animals that are drawn to water features—from wild birds to exotic dragonflies—add to the ambiance that a water feature creates in your space.

Our landscape architects recently completed a landscape plan and installation for clients in Glencoe that included a large water feature as one of its focal points. In this project, our clients wanted to incorporate a naturalistic pond as a way to add a sense of drama to their yard’s existing landscape. With a desire to complement the home’s traditional styling, our landscape designers chose a pond like one Mother Nature would have created, without straight edges or perfect curves.

Natural bluestone boulders provide a pop of eye-catching color as the pond’s stacked stone retaining wall hardscape merges into landscape. Lush plants line the pond’s shore area while lily pads dot the pond’s surface, creating the perfect spot for a passing butterfly or tiny toad to grab a quick rest.

Van Zelst’s landscape designs can be seen throughout Glencoe at the area’s most beautiful homes and estates, as well as at commercial properties, businesses and even the Chicago Botanical Garden, where our work is extensively featured.

Considered one of the world’s greatest living museums and conservation science centers, in 2015 more than 1,000,000 people strolled through the Garden to learn about and enjoy the beautiful flowers. Open free to the public, a trip to the Chicago Botanical Garden offers both an education and inspiration! Everywhere you turn throughout the garden’s 385 acres of beautifully manicured gardens, you’ll see evidence of Van Zelst’s meticulous attention to detail.

A walk through the Chicago Botanical Garden is a lovely way to spend an afternoon, and also a great way for homeowners in Glencoe and throughout the North Shore to get ideas for plants, landscape and hardscapes that may be a welcome addition to your own home garden.

For example, if your tastes run toward a garden landscape with a natural feel, this section of the Garden may pique your interest. Illinois wildflowers in shades of yellow and lilac add a touch of whimsy and wildness to an otherwise manicured brick paver pathway, giving the landscape a more rustic feel than a landscape design with cleaner edges and more tightly confined flower stems. The flowers’ varying height levels, plant density and the wooden and metal fencing all work together to create a peaceful, meadow-like impression—once again, reminding us of how many small details go into creating the perfect landscape design.

You never know where you’ll find inspiration at the Chicago Botanical Garden! In this water feature area, Van Zelst’s landscape designers intentionally chose plants with spiky foliage to mimic the shapes of the water, creating a sense of cohesion between the landscape and the hardscape.